According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
has lost 496 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of
2014. Of the rhinos poached, 321 rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park, 51 in Limpopo,47 in KwaZulu Natal,35 in the North West, 24 in Mpumalanga, 10 in the Eastern Cape, 4 in the Free State, 3 in Gauteng and 1 in the Western Cape.A total of 141 people have been arrested for rhino poaching-related offences in South Africa since January this year.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is urging members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching
or any tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.

25 June 2014

Tanzania-based low-cost airline, Fastjet, is set to launch flights between Dar es Salaam (DAR) and Harare (HRE) in Zimbabwe in August 2014 (05 Aug 2014?). The airline will offer two weekly fligths between the two destinations on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Tickets are already on sale! Fastjetplans to increase the number of fligths in case customer demand dictates.

24 June 2014

South African National Parks (SANParks) will stictly enforce gate quotas in Kruger National Park during the coming school holidays (28 June - 20 July 2014). Visitors are therefore advised to either arrive at the gate very early in the morning because the service is on "first come first served" basis or pre-book their entrance with SANParks' central reservations office in order to ensure that they gain access to the park in terms of their own plan and are not sent back at the gate. Day visitors who pre-book their visit are expected to pay a non-refundable deposit of R32 per adult and R16 per child to secure the space so that they can be counted in the number that makes a daily quota at that particular gate.

In case the the gate quota has been reached, day visitors who did not pre-book with SANParks have the option to make use of the park and ride scheme
available at Numbi Gate, Phabeni Gate and Paul Kruger Gate. The
duration of such drives is 4 hours. The morning drives start at 07:00
and end at 11:00, while the afternoon drives start at 14:00 and end at
18:00 from each gate.Kruger National Park has ten entrance gates: Pafuri Gate, Punda Maria Gate, Phalaborwa Gate,
Giriyondo Gate, Orpen Gate, Paul Kruger Gate, Phabeni Gate, Numbi Gate, Malelane Gate and Crocodile
Bridge Gate.

One of the largest protected areas in Africa and one of the largest faunal reserves of the world, the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, is now inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the World Heritage Committee (38th session of the World Heritage Committee, 15-25 June 2014 in Doha, Qatar) due to widespread poaching which is decimating wildlife populations on the property. Selous Game Reserve is renowned for its populations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah, giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodile, amongst many other species. The reserve is located in the south of Tanzania and covers a total area of 54,600 km².
The List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to inform the international community of conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action.

update (30 July 2014): According to FlyAfrica.com's website the airline is still grounded...

update (23 July 2014): Late last night (22 July 2014), FlyAfrica.com received notification from the CAA of Zimbabwe that their South African pilots' validation to fly in Zimbabwe had been revoked. Due to this the airline was unable to launch its first scheduled flight. All passengers booked for today (23 July 2014) have been accommodated on another flight and will still be flown into Zimbabwe today. In addition, all passengers will be given a credit to fly free on another flight in the future.[src]

FlyAfrica.com, a new low cost carrier with plans to operate scheduled regional flights in Africa from various hubs, is set to launch flights between Victoria Falls International Airport in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on 23 July 2014 (16 July 2014?). The initial oneway fare is R99 (excluding airport and government taxes of R570). The airline will service the route three times a week every Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. According to FlyAfrica.com's facebook page, the airline has five Boeing 737's and offers tablets to rent onboard; food and beverages will also be available for pre-purchase or purchase onboard. FlyAfrica.com plans to expand operations and will reveal new destinations in coming weeks. We will keep you posted!

The List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to inform the international community of conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action.

Flights: Search for flights can be done via a flight number or an advanced search option as well as checking in online. Once the flight is activated, any changes related to the flight will be visible to the passenger on their mobile device.

Shop and Dine: A selection of restaurants and shops to choose
from can be searched either by category, terminal or name. A currency
calculator is also available.

At the Airport: A list of the airlines that operate at the respective airports, as well as their contact numbers are provided. There is also a list of frequently asked information and contact details of the Customer Care department as well as the airport. Users will have access to a map of the airport developed in conjunction with TomTom and Micello Indoor Maps. This allows the passenger to search for, and be routed to, a location at the airport. Parking options and other information such as a parking cost calculator are also available. Weather updates of conditions at the airport are sent through on an hourly basis.

To and From the Airport: Traffic updates mean travellers can plan their trip to the airport more effectively. Also, there are listings and contact details of the car rental companies, Gautrain, taxis, and shuttle services.

11 June 2014

update (16 Sept 2014): Eyewitness News just tweeted that the requirement for unabridged certificates has been delayed until 01 june 2015! We'll keep you posted!

#immigration
Birth Certificate requirement was to have kicked in in July, was pushed
back to October, now to June next year GD
— EWN
Reporter (@ewnreporter) September
16, 2014

update (07 July 2014): South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA), has announced that it comply with new regulations relating to children who travel to and from South Africa. The national carrier said as of 01 October 2014, it will observe the new regulations by the Department of Home Affairs, which come into effect in terms of the South African Immigration Amendment Act of 2010. As from 01 October 2014, the airline will not be able to check in all travellers who cannot produce the necessary documentation in terms of this Act.

According to a new amendment to the Immigration Act regulation 6, which was published in the Government Gazette No 37679 (22 May 2014), parents travelling to South Africa with children under the age of 18 are soon required to be in possession of a fully unabridged birth certificate (including the details of the child's father as well as the mother), in addition to a valid passport. When children are travelling with guardians, these adults are required to produce affidavits from parents proving permission for the children to travel. The new regulation will come in effect on 01 October 2014. The regulations are aimed at fighting child trafficking. We'll keep you posted!

(12)(a) Where parents are travelling with a child, such parents must produce an unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the particulars of the parents of the child.
(b) In the case of one parent travelling with a child, he or she must produce an unabridged birth certificate and-
(i) consent in the form of an affidavit from the other parent registered as a parent on the birth certificate of the child authorising him or her to enter into or depart from the Republic with the child he or she is travelling with;
(ii) a court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or legal guardianship in respect of the child, if he or she is the parent or legal guardian of the child; or
(iii) where applicable, a death certificate of the other parent registered as a parent of the child on the birth certificate;
Provided that the Director-General may, where the parents of the child are both deceased and the child is travelling with a relative or another person related to him or her or his or her parents, approve such a person to enter into or depart from the Republic with such a child.
(c) Where a person is travelling with a child who is not his or her biological child, he or she must produce-
(i) a copy of the unabridged birth certificate of the child;
(ii) an affidavit from the parents or legal guardian of the child confirming that he or she has permission to travel with the child;
(iii) copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian of the child; and
(iv) the contact details of the parents or legal guardian of the child, Provided that the Director-General may, where the parents of the child are both deceased and the child is travelling with a relative or another person related to him or her or his or her parents, approve such a person to enter into or depart from the Republic with such a child. (via Regulation Gazette No. 10199, p 13/14 (pdf))

10 June 2014

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
has lost 442 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of
2014. Of the rhinos poached, 293 rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park, 48 in Limpopo,41 in KwaZulu Natal,28 in the North West, 14 in Mpumalanga, 10 in the Eastern Cape, 4 in the Free State, 3 in Gauteng and 1 in the Western Cape.A total of 123 people have been arrested for rhino poaching-related offences in South Africa since January this year.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is urging members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching
or any tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.

04 June 2014

The goverment of Kenya has implemented a tourism recovery plan aimed at stimulating the struggling tourism sector in the country. As part of the initiative, the government reduced entrance fees for several National Parks (premium parks only?) in Kenya from US$90 to US$80. To encourage flights to Mombasa and Malindi, Kenya's government has reduced the airport taxes/landing fees by 40% for the Moi International Airport (IATA: MBA) in Mombasa and by 10% for the Malindi Airport (IATA: MYD) in Malindi. The goverment also allocated special funds to adapt the landing strips of the Malindi Airport to fit international standards, so that larger capacity aircrafts are allowed to land in Malindi. With effect from 29 May 2014, flight tickets sold by tourism professionals will also be exempt from the VAT.

03 June 2014

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has published the on-time performance results of domestic airlines’ flying out of OR Tambo in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport, and Durban's King Shaka International Airport in May 2014.
On-Time Performance is measured by comparing the actual off-block time
(when aircraft pushes back) against the airline schedule time for a
departing flight. The measurement is done in accordance with the IATA
(International Airlines Transport Association) universal standard
benchmark with considers a 15 minute deviation from the scheduled time
as an on-time departure.